Serving as a Research Assistant (RA) is a great way to learn upper-division credit, build your resume, and gain professional experience. As a Research Assistant, you will have the opportunity to improve your research and professional writing skills, strengthen your understanding of the scientific process, and work closely with a faculty member, which could lead to a letter of recommendation.
General responsibilities
As an RA your duties may include, but are not limited to:
- Working closely alongside a faculty member, as well as other RAs
- Conducting research
- Reviewing and performing literature analyses
- Inputting and coding data
- Presenting research findings to peers, faculty members, or at conferences
Eligibility criteria
Each faculty member has their own eligibility criteria for prospective RAs. These criteria may include, but are not limited to:
- Having a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0
- Being able to work cohesively with a group, as well as having the skills to work independently
Time commitment
The number of hours you will be expected to dedicate towards RA duties is dependent on the number of credits you are enrolled in. Students enrolled in 3 credits can expect to spend around 9 hours working on RA-related tasks each week of the regular semester (1 credit = ~3 hours of work per week).
Next steps
- Check our spreadsheet. Each semester, the PSYC Advising team releases a spreadsheet with available TA and RA opportunities for the following semester. This spreadsheet is sent out via email in our department’s virtual newsletter.
- Reach out to faculty. Determine your research interests and match them with individual faculty members, and from there consider reaching out to ask about available opportunities, and the application process.
For more information about Research Assistantships, contact PSYC Advising.